If You Can't Sleep, Club
by Shadow Zee
Summary: Marloe  OC  and Arthur don't agree on everything, especially when it comes to clubbing. Sorry Arthur, but you can't win every battle.
1. If You Can't Sleep, Club

**Okay. So this is my first uploaded fanfic ever. I've written dozens before, but have never had the gull to put them up for the world to see. Comments/Reviews will make me very happy!**

**SUMMARY: Marloe (OC) and Arthur don't agree on everything, especially when it comes to clubbing. Sorry Arthur, but you gotta loose battles to win some. XD (I might add on to this and make another chapter or two, but I'm not sure yet. I guess I'll see what people think of it.) Timeline is set PRE-FILM!  
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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Inception_ or any of the characters in it, sadly. You can thank Christopher Nolan for their creation. Marloe, however, is my own original character and is not to be used or confused with any real life person.  
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_If You Can't Sleep, Club_

"Can't sleep?" asked the orderly young man. He leaned against the large, cement pillar in the center of the warehouse, arms crossed, casually eyeing his teammate who was restless on an old couch several feet away.

She went still at the sound of Arthur's voice and didn't bother to look in his direction before she knew if she was actually awake. Digging in her blue jeans pocket, the young woman removed an eight-sided dice and let it clatter onto the cold floor. The translucent blue object rolled around before finally settling with the "one" side facing up. She sighed inwardly with relief as she scooped up the dice and looked at Arthur, who was still propped up against the concrete monolith. "Can't dream," she corrected him.

Arthur's arms went down as he walked toward Marloe in his custom suit and slicked back hair. "How long has that been going on?" he asked, his stiff expression relaxing.

Marloe shrugged and sat up, saying, "A few months, I guess. Some nights I dream. Some nights," she hesitated. "Some nights I just don't fall asleep." The petite girl drew up her knees to her chest and pushed her back hard against the unbelievably comfortable couch. A slight yawn escaped her lips. "I'm not the only one, though, am I?" She eyed Arthur and watched his reaction. As expected, he gave nothing away, but Marloe knew.

"I have good nights and bad nights," he said nonchalantly as he pulled up a lawn chair beside the couch and sat.

"Really? What are your good nights like, because I see you having nightmares every time you close your eyes it seems."

"How would you know what I dream?" The perfected man sat at the edge of the long chair closest to Marloe's couch, folding his hands complacently while leaning forward.

"Well, unless your good dreams always have you fidgeting and upset, I'm just going to assume they're nightmares," Marloe said with notable sarcasm, cocking an eyebrow at her teammate and watching his minute movements.

He unclasped his hands and fell back against his lawn chair, realizing his friend was completely and utterly right. It was true. Every time he fell asleep he was thrown into a disturbing world where dark, doorless buildings and emptiness filled his mind. When he slept, Arthur became lost and his feeling of control vanished. He hated not being in control. So he chose to stay awake whenever possible.

"Maybe you need a break. We all do, actually. The team needs to take a day to relax and do whatever." The young woman uncurled and let her legs hang off the couch's edge. She leaned forward and imitated Arthur's previous body position. "A club. Let's go to a club or some place to loosen up." Marloe nodded towards her friend sitting opposite of her and waited for his opinion on her idea.

"Clubbing is your idea of relaxing?" A single eyebrow perked on Arthur's face and made Marloe smile.

God, how she adored him. But that's a story for another time.

"Well, we could do something else. But going to a club—I don't know. The music, the people, the drinks. I think all that energy might be good for the team. Might wake us up and get us feeling better. And you and I both know Cobb could use a little pick-me-up." Marloe smirked and fiddled with her blue dice totem. She brushed her thumb over the pips on each side, as if double checking they were all still there.

Arthur just sat quietly, watching Marloe roll the object around in her fingers. He had arrived on the team first and thus, the dice totem was his original idea. But when Marloe showed up and was told to find a totem, she immediately went with the idea of a loaded polyhedral dice. But she hadn't even seen Arthur's totem before then, and so couldn't be accused of copying. Plus, Marloe's dice was not the same type as Arthur's. So Arthur let the issue of identical totems go. Secretly, he actually liked Marloe's dice due to its interesting design, but he would never let her know that.

Marloe was unsure about the face Arthur was pulling. He was eyeing her dice and his expression was quite blank. She waved a hand in front of his view. "Hey, are you listening?"

He blinked and focused his attention back to the attractive Marloe. "So you want to take the group on a trip to a club?"

Marloe sighed, growing irritated with the note of disinterest in Arthur's voice. "Yes, Arthur. I think it would be fun for us. But you obviously don't sound very interested." She impatiently brushed aside a strand of choppy brunette hair away from her eyes.

"I never said I wasn't interested. I just wonder if there's something more suiting for the team to loosen up with."

"Okay. Then why don't you share your idea? I'd like to hear it." She then folded her legs casually and clasped her hands around her knees, watching Arthur and waiting for a response.

All he did was eye her at first. Arthur knew the game she was playing and he'd be damned if he was going to play along. It wasn't that he hated the idea of going to a club because he really did believe that course of action might actually help everyone's nerves settle, but _he_ didn't want to go. Arthur didn't dance, he rather disliked the loud music and he didn't care a whole lot about drinking. It was damn near impossible for him to get drunk anyway. But the worst part about going to a club would be having to agree with Marloe about the idea of it and he couldn't allow that. He couldn't agree with her because they were suppose to be opposing forces and opposing forces don't come together, no matter how much he wanted them to.

Marloe waited patiently for an answer.

But he couldn't think of one. God, the club thing was probably their best bet and Arthur knew it. Not wanting to admit anything with words, he simply sighed loudly with his defeat.

The young woman smiled, knowing she'd won. However, she refused to rub her victory in Arthur's face. Instead, she just leaned back against the couch again and looked up at the ceiling. Marloe was happy that Arthur didn't further criticize her idea so she wasn't going to be rude by making him feel his loss.

Arthur watched as Marloe breathed in slowly and exhaled deeply. She was obviously happy that her idea was the best one, but she gave Arthur his space and he valued that. In fact, there were a lot of things about Marloe that Arthur valued—her loyalty to friends, her lightheartedness that could often be taken as sarcasm, her optimism, her willingness to get the job done. There were so many things. And as he observed Marloe now, he thought about each of them and he realized why he could never seem to get her out of his mind—he felt something for her. In his heart.

A peaceful silence fell between the two as they thought. Marloe began making plans in her head for clubbing and Arthur was thinking of Marloe. Just Marloe.

"And what are you two little lovebirds doing on this fine morning?" Eames appeared behind Marloe's couch and looked down at her, interrupting her stare at the ceiling.

Bringing her legs up to her chest again, she responded with a clever smile, "Just making plans for our upcoming trip to that one club down the road." Her cerulean blue eyes followed him around the side of the couch and she watched him lean against the arm rest, crossing his muscular biceps over his chest.

His coffee-colored brows rose, indicating obvious interest. "Oh?" He eyed Arthur questioningly. The Forger knew the other man couldn't possibly be attracted to the idea of going to a club. "And what are your thoughts on the subject, my dear Arthur?"

"Whatever the team wants to do," was all he said.

Eames laughed. "I'm in."

"Good. I doubt Ariadne will have any objections. Guess it's just up to Cobb now."

"What's up to me?" Dom Cobb's ears must have been ringing because he suddenly appeared from the warehouse entrance, his voice echoing slightly in the large, open building. Ariadne was at his tail.

"Ah, gang's all here now," commented Eames with a coy smile. He winked sarcastically at Arthur who rolled his eyes and stood up as his boss approached, as if to be polite and mindful of Cobb's superiority.

Marloe and Eames couldn't care a less about standing up. A wave or a smile was enough to be courteous.

"Hey Ariadne. Hey Cobb." Marloe nodded at them welcomingly.

"Hey Marloe. What were you guys talking about?" As always, curiosity overcame Ariadne and she had to ask.

"I was telling Eames here that I think it would be a good idea to go to a club sometime. To calm our nerves and—stuff."

"And I was saying how wonderful that sounded," added Eames proudly.

Nodding in agreement, Ariadne said, "That would be fun," and looked up at Cobb to see what he thought about the subject.

The room was quiet for a moment while the Extractor pondered. But it wasn't long before he had his answer. Shrugging, he announced, "I don't see a problem with the team wanting to have a little enjoyment for the evening. As long as everyone agrees."

Marloe grinned largely at him. She liked when her thoughts were reciprocated positively by Cobb, the leader of the pack. Then she looked up at Arthur, who had another expressionless face on. Marloe asked him in a quiet, gentle voice, "What about you, Arthur? Would you be at all interested in joining us?"

When the Point Man's chocolate eyes met the ocean blue pools that were Marloe's, his heart sank slightly. There was no way he could say no to her, especially when she was asking him so kindly and with no notable sarcasm. Letting Marloe down now might forever ruin any kind of potential relationship between them. And he definitely was beginning to want something deeper from her. So he said yes.

The sparkle in the Shift's eye that glittered wildly from Arthur's answer was enough on its own to brighten his day. But now she'd be in a wonderful mood until they went to this club and that thought put him in a lighter disposition instantly.

Turning back towards Cobb, Marloe exclaimed, "So then that's a yes for the club?"

Cobb smiled and nodded at her. He was amazed at how easily she could get excited. "Yes, we can go. But not tonight. Arthur and I need to finish up some last bits of paperwork from our last case. How does tomorrow night sound for everyone?" Dom scanned the faces of his friends, looking for any indication of dislike for the date.

"I'm free," said Eames.

"Me too," added Ariadne.

Marloe nodded. "Works for me."

All eyes focused on Arthur who made contact with everyone also. "I guess tomorrow it is."

"Okay," said Cobb. "Tomorrow evening at, let's say, nine o'clock?"

Everyone nodded, including Arthur, who was starting to get used to the idea of clubbing.

"Good. We'll all meet here and ride together." Cobb nodded again and headed towards his work desk. Arthur followed behind him after giving one last glance towards Marloe.

She didn't know how to interpret it, but it was as though he was telling her, "Fine. You win. Club it is."

"I've got a feeling your buddy Arthur isn't too happy about tomorrow's excursion," whispered Eames in Marloe's direction.

Ariadne walked over to the couch, leaned against its back beside Marloe and smiled at the Forger and the Shift, both of which returned the smile with their own. "I think this will be good for him," she said quietly.

"Yeah, and we all could use the fresh air," added Marloe.

Eames laughed. "Darling, if you find a club that has fresh air, you're in the wrong place."

Marloe and Ariadne smiled. "You know what I mean, Eames."

"No, I'm afraid I don't. Please enlighten me." Sarcasm flooded his voice freely.

She enlightened him with her middle finger stuck in the air, smiling crookedly all the while.

Eames just laughed, as did Ariadne. "Woah. I think we could use some fresh air _now_. Who's hungry?" asked the Architect.

Marloe's middle finger salute disappeared as she unfolded all of her fingers in a hand-raise.

Eames sighed and said, "I could go for some breakfast."

"Alright," responded Ariadne as she backed away from the couch.

The Shift stood, stretched tiredly and slipped her dice back into her pocket, not realizing she had had it in her hand the entire time. She flinched slightly as Eames shouted,

"We're getting food, Boss. Want anything?"

Cobb's voice from around the corner announced quickly, "No, we're both good. Thanks." The three other teammates knew that Arthur and Cobb would decline the offer for food. They'd be at their desks doing computer work and filling out papers for the next twelve hours.

"Ready?" asked a suddenly very hungry Marloe.

"Ready," announced Ariadne and Eames simultaneously before the threesome headed out of the warehouse and into the cool morning breeze of autumn.

Marloe made a mental note to talk to Arthur more about her sleep problems later on. Maybe she would learn more about his issues with dreams as well. But for now, she was hungry and excited about tomorrow night when she, hopefully, would release Arthur's wild side—if he even had one.


	2. A Lesson In Dreaming

**Thank you so much for those who reviewed/commented on the last chapter!**

**Alright. This chapter will explain what a Shift is exactly. It's set a few months before the first chapter, so think of it as a prequel.**

**DISCLAIMER: Again, I do not own anything pertaining to _Inception_. It's very sad, I know. XD**

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_A Lesson In Dreaming_

"This is a dream?"

"This is _your_ dream, Marloe. You created it." Dominic Cobb stood in the middle of a hilly valley with his hands in a russet-colored jacket. Tall, green grass licked at his knees as a cool breeze made the green ground ripple. He kept his blue eyes focused on the twenty-six-year-old girl in front of him.

Marloe marveled at the sight that was, according to her friend Cobb, a dream. She did a slow three-sixty to view the entire valley. She couldn't believe she had created this herself. It was beautiful. The sun was more than half way down the sky and turned the sharp mountains beyond a glowing orange. At the opposite end of the valley lay an expansive forest of fiery leaves. The season was, without a doubt, autumn. The chilly air that came from the direction of the mountains played with Marloe's messy waves of auburn hair and put the uneven bed-head spikes in even more disarray. She inhaled deeply, scenting the luscious grass that tickled her palms and the faint smell of whatever Dom had sprayed on that morning.

She was confused, however, by the random people wandering about. "Who are they?" she asked Dom.

"Your projections. Just random people created from your subconscious."

Marloe watched them for several minutes it seemed. Some of them were picking at the grass. Others were running and laughing together. One female projection simply stared in Marloe's general direction. She wondered why her subconscious had chosen them.

"Everything seems so real," she eventually commented.

"Dreams feel real when we're in them."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"And you know, in a dream, anything is possible," said Cobb enticingly.

Turning to face him, Marloe asked, "Anything?"

"Anything."

That was all she needed to hear. Smiling, Marloe concentrated hard on her surroundings until the ground trembled slightly beneath their feet.

Cobb glanced at the ground and then at the woman. He knew she was changing something. It was a question of what.

The ground around the two began to ripple, as if it were no longer solid, but liquid. The hills that made up the valley began to shift and flatten until the entire area was more like a leveled playing field.

Nodding with satisfaction, Marloe went on to step two. Again the ground thundered, but for a different reason. "You should come over here," she said, waving her hand at Cobb to come closer.

He furrowed his brows with confusion, but obeyed quickly. Standing beside Marloe now, he watched at she rose a large metal structure from the earth several yards away. As the steel frame rocketed towards the sky, Cobb noted how similar it looked to the basics of a building.

The structure grew until it was exactly 1,451 feet into the sky. Marloe didn't know how she knew that it was the proper height, but she felt that it was correct.

Once the frame stopped growing, the ground at its base wriggled slightly as thousands of glass panes crept out and up until the entire building was covered in dark, reflective glass. The finishing touch was the growth of two metal prongs at the top of the massive skyscraper.

Marloe continued to smile when she looked over at Cobb. "Well? Would do you think?"

He observed the building carefully for a moment before looking at Marloe. Then he nodded with his hands in his pockets and said, "It's good." Cobb turned his attention to the rest of the valley, which was devoid of anything but grass and the wandering projections. "But it seems like the rest of the field has a lot of wasted—"

The young woman cleverly blinked her azure eyes. Instantly, a hundred more skyscraper frames rose out of nowhere around them and were quickly covered by glass and windows that popped out from beneath the grassy surface, as though every piece was alive and crawling towards its intended place upon each building. The chorus of their creation was like a wind chime that echoed off the mountains beyond and fell right back into Cobb's and Marloe's ears.

"—Space," he finished, jaw slightly dropped.

Marloe was quiet, the smile on her face having never disappeared. In between the buildings were her projections, unharmed, but with an obvious discontented look upon their faces. "They look pissed. What did I do?" The woman projection from earlier looked the most upset. She watched Marloe as though the dreamer was some sort of prey.

Cobb didn't answer at first. He simply observed the projections carefully, watching their every move. They were all looking around, as if searching for something that they couldn't find. Then Cobb saw the woman who watching Marloe. He locked eyes with her and was completely still. As the moments passed, the lady slowly walked away behind a tall building and disappeared from sight.

A small bead of sweat formed on Cobb's forehead, but Marloe didn't see it. She was too busy focusing on the newly acquired look on Cobb's face that was beginning to concern Marloe. He looked surprised.

"What? What's the problem?"

"Nothing. No problem." Cobb paused and continued to stare at the projections. Their unhappy and confused expressions slowly vanished and the subconscious people began to resume their previous activities. The man's lips twitched slightly, as if threatening to unleash a smile, but he regained his composure and turned back towards the buildings in front of Marloe.

"Now wait a second. These structures look familiar." Cobb pointed at the first building to be made. "This one especially."

"It's Willis Tower. This is Chicago." Marloe's grin faded as slight confusion settled in. "Why? What's wrong?"

Something was definitely wrong. Cobb was beginning to look upset. "You can't do that," he said bitterly at Marloe. "Never recreate places from your memory. Always imagine new places!"

"What's wrong with dreaming about Chicago, or any other place I've been to?"

"Dreaming up memories is the easiest way for someone to get information from your mind. If I was suppose to be extracting something from you right now, I would already know about a place you've been to multiple times, judging by the accuracy of the city. I'd even know what your favorite building was."

Marloe just watched him, finally understanding what the problem was and suddenly not feeling so excited about shared dreaming. "You'd know Willis Tower was my favorite because I made it first."

Cobb nodded. "Exactly."

"Okay. I didn't know."

"It's fine this first time since it's just you and me, but you have to be more careful. You can take a _piece_ of Chicago, say a street lamp or a mailbox, but nothing to this extent."

Marloe looked out at the fantastic scene around her. The buildings were perfect, right down to their location and the number of stories. But she knew now that building out of memory was a complete no-no. Sighing loudly, she let out a heavy breath of air, which blew her buildings away in a swirl of ash and dust.

Cobb stared. He hadn't seen anyone work so strongly on their first attempt at shared dreaming. It was obvious Marloe was a natural dreamer with an active imagination. He glanced over again at the projections. They were again looking unhappy, but they couldn't figure out what exactly was making them unhappy. So like before, they continued with what they were doing before any shift in the dream had occurred. The female projection from before, however, was now visible again since the buildings were gone and she was staring directly at Marloe, who didn't seem to notice. Cobb's heart began to pick up pace. It was only when the woman failed to make a move that he began to calm down. Besides, it was almost time…

Marloe opened her eyes slowly and removed the white wristband from her arm. She wasn't tired, but she hadn't realized how hard she had worked to build the city just a few minutes ago.

"How was it?" asked Arthur, hovering over her with an odd expression on his face.

"Good, up until the point when I realized I'm not allowed to build from memory." She sat up from her couch and looked at the small alarm clock on the old coffee table beside her. It read 2:16pm. Her brows furrowed. "Wait, that can't be right."

"What?" asked Cobb, leaning forward on his recliner.

Arthur answered for her. "I think she means the time."

Marloe nodded. "There's no way we were only in there for five minutes."

"Five minutes in the real world gives you an hour in the dream world," said Arthur.

"Time flows differently in a dream. It might take some getting used to," Cobb commented.

Marloe just nodded.

Arthur watched her for a moment before asking Cobb, "So what did she build?" His voice was way too serious for Marloe's liking, but she ignored it for now.

The older man snatched an item from his jacket pocket before answering and spun it on the table. The three watched intently and sighed simultaneously when the top slowed and toppled onto its side. They were, in fact, in the real world. "Chicago."

The Point Man—Arthur—stood still, looking at Marloe and then Cobb and then back at Marloe.

She laughed slightly. "Hey, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to do that sort of thing. Sorry." But it soon became clear to Marloe that that wasn't why Arthur was giving her such a strange look. "What did I do this time? Did I talk in my sleep? I do that sometimes." Cobb now began to eye her and she was getting to the point of being very disturbed. Marloe stood up suddenly, feeling uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her, asking, "What the hell are you guys looking at?"

Cobb stood up as well and sighed. He was trying to find the words. "Marloe, that wasn't your dream you were just in."

Her brows creased. "What do you mean? Of course it was. You said so." Not that she believed everything she was told, but why would Cobb lie to her about whose dream she was actually in?

"You were in _my_ dream." Cobb watched her reaction.

She didn't say anything, so he continued.

"I dreamt up the valley and the mountains and the forest. I figured that was something you might dream or at least like to dream."

Still no response, so Cobb spoke again.

"See, normally when a person besides the dreamer starts messing with the dream's layout and its contents, the dreamer's subconscious—those projections you saw—will attack the foreign entity. Foreign entity being you, in this case."

Marloe's eyes locked onto Cobb's as she sat down on the old couch. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But it wasn't just because Cobb had lied to her. "So why didn't _your_ subconscious attack me? I changed a lot in the dream. I built a whole goddamn city, but all they did was look a little pissed. Why didn't they come after me? Especially that woman. She looked angrier than all of them."

Cobb hesitated before saying with a slick smile on his face, "That's a good question, isn't it?"

"Is she talking about Mal? Wait, Mal was there and she didn't come after you?" Arthur looked at Cobb and then at Marloe with a surprised face.

"Who's Mal?"

"Cobb's wife."

"She's not a happy person, is she?"

Arthur was quiet for a moment before he responded. "Mal died," he said quietly, in courtesy toward Cobb, who was standing very still and focusing on nothing in particular.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault," was all Cobb could say.

Arthur, in good sport, attempted to change the subject. "So, uh, if you managed to sneak past the projections in a practice dream, imagine what you could do when you're on the job?" Arthur cocked an eyebrow at Marloe and her heart unintentionally fluttered.

"So I'm taking it none of you can do what I did?"

The other two shook their heads in sync, Cobb already getting past the Mal subject.

Marloe began to think about her new-found gift. From what Cobb had told her when she was first asked to join the team, extracting information from someone's mind could be tricky, especially if the Mark figured out that he or she was dreaming. If a part of the dream needed to be altered, or if something had to be added to make the dream more convincing, it would be impossible to do without alerting the dreamer's subconscious. _I guess that's where I come in_, mused Marloe with a sly smile. "Why did you ask me to join your team, Cobb?"

The sudden change in topic caught the man off guard. "We needed someone who could mess with people's minds, no matter how literally, to help us get the information we needed from the Mark."

"Uh-huh. So why choose me?"

Arthur spoke up now. "From the Intel we had on you, you seemed right for the job due to your ability to, well—"

"You're a con-artist and we wondered how that might work out in the dream world. It obviously works to our advantage," finished Cobb, eyeing Arthur with slight impatience.

Smiling cleverly and clasping her hands together, Marloe took a moment to think. Yes, she was a fairly great con-artist. She got what she wanted by toying with people and lying, much the way Cobb did things. And now she had a genuine use for her talent. "You mentioned something about a job?" She glanced up Arthur, who smiled slightly.

"If you're interested," responded Cobb.

Marloe nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, I'm definitely interested."

Cobb smiled. "Now you just need a job title and you can join the ranks of the team."

"Job title?" questioned Marloe.

" I'm the Point Man, Cobb's the Extractor, and Eames is the Forger."

She gave Arthur a cocked-brow look.

"Eames, annoying guy with the accent."

"Oh yeah! I like him." Marloe smiled at an irritated Point Man. "As for a title, how 'bout Shift? _The_ Shift? Suiting, don't you think?"

Cobb nodded moments after she asked. "I don't see why not. It fits your new job description."

Arthur bobbed his head in agreement, too.

"Now I just need one of those little object things you all carry around."

"A totem," corrected Arthur.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," announced Cobb optimistically, but it was obvious the talk of Mal had affected him due to the note of discontent in his voice.

"Yeah, I've already got an idea. So, can we go under again?" Marloe asked, hoping to cheer up Cobb.

He smiled. "How about you and Arthur give it a shot?" It was obvious Cobb was no longer in the mood for much after the short conversation about his deceased wife.

Marloe laughed slightly. "I'm not sure if I want to be in one of his dreams," she commented sarcastically before giving the Point Man a genuine smile to let him know she was only joking.

Arthur was about to say something sarcastic back, but that smile calmed him down instantly. He was definitely going to enjoy Marloe hanging around. He just wasn't too sure about having her in his dreams just yet.


	3. Designated Driver

**Last chapter! At least for this fanfic. Sorry for the wait and I hope it was well worth it. As always, comments/reviews are definitely welcome!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Inception_ or anything relating to the film. Mmk?

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**_Designated Driver_**  
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"I don't think head-bobbing is considered dancing, love."

Marloe laughed at Eames's comment. He was right, of course. Head-bobbing was merely nodding your head in rhythm to the music, which was exactly what the brunette woman was doing. Dancing, on the other hand—as explained by Sigourney Weaver—, was a series of movements that involved two people and harmoniously matched speed and rhythm with music. If using that definition, Marloe was not dancing. She was head-bobbing.

"I don't know if she heard you," exclaimed Cobb into Eames's ear. The music was loud in the club and it as difficult to hear anything that wasn't two inches from you.

"She laughed, so of course she heard me!"

"I heard him," Marloe finally said loudly to the two men. "I don't dance, Eames. I do this." She pointed to her nodding head and smiled.

"Well I guess that's better than what Arthur's doing." Eames motioned towards the classy man seated beside him Cobb.

While everyone else was in comfortable, suitable clubbing attire, Arthur was in his usual suit and fancy shoes. He was, however, convinced earlier by Ariadne to remove his jacket and tie to give the _appearance_ of being laid back. The team knew better, though, than to actually believe that he would enjoy his evening with or without the jacket and tie.

Marloe leaned forward from her seat on the stool that was positioned in front of the glass bar. A puzzled look appeared on her face. "What's Arthur doing?"

Eames snickered into his Guinness bottle. "Exactly. What _are_ you doing, my dear Arthur?"

The other man turned his attention away from the cluster of people at the center of the club and looked at Eames. "Having a good time," he said, not amused and obviously not believing what he was saying.

"But you're just staring, Arthur," commented Ariadne from beside Cobb. A piece of wavy brown hair fluttered over her right eye and she pushed it absent-mindedly behind her ear.

Arthur shrugged and Ariadne gave up.

Marloe sighed, looking out at the enthusiastic people in the club. She was happy that everyone—besides Arthur—was allowing themselves to take some time to relax. Ariadne, for the first time since Marloe had met her, had her hair gracefully flowing freely. It wasn't being tied back, pinned up, or scrunched into a tight bun. And her shoulder-revealing topaz t-shirt accented the dark skin-tight jeans nicely.

As for Cobb, he was pleasantly dressed in a pair of loose blue denims and a dark red, almost rustic-colored button-down shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, which allowed the perfect visual of his strong forearms. A pair of black and white Converse topped off his attire. Marloe had smiled when she first saw his shoes because she had never seen him wear them. They had simply surprised her. She was used to seeing Cobb in such formal wear, after all.

Eames, on the other hand, didn't surprise her. His grey khaki pants showed off the shape of his ass quite nicely and Marloe found herself unintentionally staring occasionally. His black tee, to Marloe's relief, was not as tight, but the lack of sleeves showed his powerfully-built muscles just as Cobb's shirt did. Eames wanted the attention of the ladies and he was, without a doubt, getting that attention.

"He's not the only one staring," said Marloe to Ariadne. The two women smiled at the same time as they looked out at the people in the club. A group of young women sitting at an orange-lighted table were looking in Eames's direction with sly little grins on their faces.

The man said nothing at first, but simply stared back. Then, he cleared his throat and said without looking away from the girls, "If you'd all excuse me, I think I'll go get drunk with those lovely ladies over there." And he was swept away from the bar's edge to join the pretty bunch of females.

Ariadne cocked an eyebrow and Marloe rolled her eyes. "Well you can tell he was enjoying himself over here," said the latter sarcastically. But Eames had a right to be bored. The group wasn't doing a whole lot.

Cobb nodded heavily, perhaps a little too much. The fourth beer glass in his hand probably wasn't helping. "I think I might go find a table," he finally said, just loud enough for Marloe and Ariadne beside him to hear.

Marloe frowned. "You're not going to dance?"

Laughing, Cobb shook his head and responded with, "I'm not much of a dancer either."

"It might be amusing if you're drunk." Marloe smiled sarcastically.

"Yeah, so you can laugh when I fall on my ass? I don't think so."

"Well could you at least hang around here? I hadn't realized how much of a drag the club would be." Her frown grew.

"Maybe we should all go dance. Like, together," suggested Ariadne.

Marloe thought about that. She really didn't want to dance, but no one from her team seemed to be doing much. Eames was the only one enjoying himself, apparently. Of course, he was the first to get drunk. But if they all went onto the dance floor, maybe that could be fun.

"I'll go," she paused for effect, "if Arthur goes." She didn't grin at Arthur who was standing just a few feet to her right. He hadn't moved since they all arrived at the bar, and the only thing he had done at all was order several glasses of some iced alcoholic drink.

Arthur looked at Marloe and locked eyes with her. She was being completely serious and he could see it with the angry fire that was burning in her eyes. She wanted him to do something other than stand around like he been for the past hour. But dancing wasn't his thing either. At least, he didn't think it was. When an image of Marloe on the dance floor, bouncing to the music and throwing her arms up into the claustrophobic air, popped into his head, he suddenly liked the idea of moving to the rhythm with her. He wanted to see how her multi-shade blue skirt fluttered at her knees and watch her brush aside the messy hair that crossed her sapphire eyes. Suddenly, dancing didn't sound so bad. And yet, he did really want to be the one doing the dancing. He'd rather observe.

Still staring at Marloe, Arthur said, "I'll watch."

Marloe hesitated for a moment. She figured he'd say no to her dancing proposal, but it was still upsetting to hear it. "You'll watch?"

Arthur took a sip of his drink, watching Marloe all the while.

That was enough for her. If Arthur didn't want to dance, she certainly wasn't going to force him. Marloe just hoped that the negative energy that floated around him like an aura would dissipate soon, because she was growing tired of it.

She then glanced at Cobb, with the slightest bit of hope that he'd agree to go with her and Ariadne.

"No, no, no. Don't look at me. I'm staying right here. This is fun where I'm at right now."

Marloe watched him for a long moment before believing him. "Are you sure? You don't mind staying here by yourself, since Arthur doesn't seem to be much company."

"You guys are just going over there," he said, pointing in the general direction of the open dance floor at the center of the club. "Right?"

Ariadne nodded a response. "Yeah. But if you wanted to join us, you can."

"Thanks, but I'm good."

Marloe noted a slight slur in Cobb's words as he spoke. "Just don't drink too much, please. I already know you're not going to be the designated driver, but having you passed out somewhere won't be that great either." She smiled coyly and nodded at Ariadne. "Ready?"

The younger woman looked past Marloe to see what Arthur was doing. He was finishing his drink and appeared to be ordering another. He was careful not to make eye contact with either of the women. "Let's dance," she said, grinning at Marloe, but also feeling slightly disappointed that Arthur wouldn't be joining them. If Ariadne had to guess, she'd say that Arthur and Marloe had something between them, but Arthur's attitude tonight was confusing her. Still, she preferred Arthur as a friend and only that.

Marloe and Ariadne headed towards the dispersed crowd of dancers, walking closely together, as if one might be snatched away if the other drifted too far off. The dance floor itself was huge. Pretty much any place that wasn't the bar or the tables that circled the club could be considered the dance floor. However, people seemed to be choosing the very center of the building to groove around. That was the area where the overhead rainbow spotlights were mostly at. They definitely added to the whole club atmosphere, spinning across the place and creating magical effects as they reflected off of the colorful glass tables.

Waving to Eames as she passed him, Marloe strode beside Ariadne until they picked a relatively empty place to move around, ignoring the fact that the two of them had caught the eyes of several guys in their vicinity.

Eames smiled with his arms around two women at his orange table. He wouldn't bring either of them to the warehouse or to some off-the-road motel because he was smarter than that. The British man would simply enjoy their beautiful company for the time being.

Back at the bar, Arthur still didn't seem to be amused at all by the idea of dancing—unless he was watching Marloe—, but any stranger who watched his eyes would find them drifting towards Marloe all too often. He was very happy that she chose a spot that was still in his line of sight. Her shoulders were exposed in her white halter top that tied around her neck and her bare skin was the cause for his stare. But when he saw the men staring at her and Ariadne, he glared in their direction until they saw him and got his point.

"What are you looking at?" asked Cobb with drunken curiosity.

"Nothing," responded Arthur casually, pulling his eyes away from the men, who had found something else to look at now. "Just watching."

Cobb furrowed his brows in puzzlement, but said nothing. Rather, he continued drinking his fourth beer and faced the bar on his stool. He glanced down at the bottle nonchalantly. Marloe was right. He definitely wasn't going to be the designated driver tonight.

A new song was beginning to play, signally an end to the previous electronic track. Marloe liked this sort of music because it was perfect for loosening up to and moving her slim body to. She had told Eames that she didn't dance, but it was soon going to be obvious that she did.

"I don't recognize this song," commented Ariadne who had already begun to swing her hips in rhythm to the beat.

"Did you know the last one?" questioned Marloe, setting up a point to get across to her friend.

Ariadne shook her head slightly, causing her hair to bounce just a little. "I haven't really recognized any of the music actually."

Marloe simply smiled. Her point was understood. "Well you must like it, or else you wouldn't be dancing or even be here in the first place." She swayed her hips as well and allowed her short halter top to climb up her hips, revealing a small, blue dragonfly on her left side that complimented the dark blue spiral design that made its way up that side of her shirt.

"I like it. The only club I've been to was nothing like this. Not as nice. And I came here because it was good for the team. I just wish Arthur would participate a little." Ariadne glanced back at Arthur, who hadn't moved an inch except to face Cobb.

"I know, but Cobb isn't doing a whole lot either."

"At least he's enjoying himself."

Marloe nodded, looking at both men at the bar. Cobb certainly was happy and a small getaway from the warehouse was probably doing wonders for his extremely over-active, work-absorbed mind. He needed to relax more than anyone else and it seemed he was doing just that.

Marloe just wished Arthur would do something. Watching him be so still and almost lifeless was disconcerting for her. She wanted to see some life in his eyes, rather than be so professional. Marloe just wanted him to let go of the worries about work and his job, because that was surely what his mind was focused on 24/7.

"Why won't you go dancing with them?" asked Cobb, the slur in his words suddenly vanishing. "With her."

Arthur knew exactly what he was talking about and he wasn't about to play dumb for his boss. "I can't."

Cobb watched his friend closely. He knew damn well that he wasn't talking about dancing. It didn't matter if he couldn't dance because swinging your hips doesn't take much. "Why not?"

The seriousness of the question struck Arthur and made him actually think for a good answer.

But there wasn't one.

Cobb laughed through his nose. "_There's_ your answer," was all Cobb said before gulping down his last bit of beer. The bartender tried to give him another, but he refused, remembering Marloe's words and deciding that passing out really didn't sound that fun.

Arthur understood completely what Cobb meant. He couldn't find a reason not to be with Marloe right then, who was dancing with energy to the fast beat of the techno song. Who, even though her body seemed happy, had a face on that showed a different emotion. Who's loose blue skirt was fluttering against her thighs. And who had wanted nothing more than to dance with Arthur, but he had turned her down.

Standing up and placing his nearly-full glass down onto the glassy surface of the bar, Arthur made a decision right then. He was going to attempt to make up for being such a negative person that night by dancing with Marloe.

Cobb knew what was happening and he said, "Good choice."

Arthur smiled inside, but at the same time, he was nervous as he made his way through small clusters of people towards Marloe.

"Alright, my love!" shouted a drunken Eames from several yards away when Arthur was close enough to hear him.

Arthur ignored him as he approached the young woman.

She hadn't realized he was coming until Ariadne suddenly looked up and smiled. Marloe's hips stopped their rocking and she swung around to see Arthur just a few feet away. She stared at him, speechless, as he stopped in front of her. Brushing aside a wave of hair from her eyes, she locked yes with him.

The music playing was fast and a little crazy, but nothing was registering for Marloe. She was hardly believing that Arthur was actually on the dance floor, with his sleeves rolled up over his elbows and his top two shirt buttons undone. He was nervous, Marloe could tell, but so was she.

"I decided I wanted to dance."

Marloe smiled beautifully and said, "Good choice," not realizing that she had actually just quoted Cobb, who was observing casually as he wandered over to Eames's table of women.

The female group scattered when Cobb waved a hand at them. They weren't very happy, but they would all surely find another man to seduce.

"Thanks, mate. You're a real hero," Eames said sarcastically.

Cobb ignored him and sat down to get a better view of the three team members on the dance floor, soon to be only two—Ariadne eventually snuck away quietly behind Marloe to join Eames and Cobb. No one spoke. They only wanted to see how far the pair went.

Another song ended and there were a few moments of silence in the club, besides the obvious chatter of people. Marloe unconsciously wondered if maybe the DJ had left to take a piss or if something had gotten broken by some drunk person. But in those quiet seconds, Marloe concentrated hard into Arthur's wonderfully brown eyes.

Then a new song finally started up and Marloe recognized it instantly. _When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, 'coz you're amazing, just the way you are._ It wasn't the best choice for clubbing music, but it was suiting for the moment she and Arthur were currently experiencing.

"So, are you gonna dance?" questioned Marloe slowly, never letting go of Arthur's stare.

"Yes. But there's something I want to do first." Gently taking her arm, Arthur pulled Marloe close to him and kissed her lips softly. He closed his eyes as they touched and breathed in her exotic, flowery scent.

Marloe didn't resist or move away. She let him place his other hand on the back of her neck and she shivered when his fingers made contact, giving her pleasant little goosebumps down her spine. Slowly and carefully, she put her hands at his each side of his jaw line, and kept him close. This was the moment she had secretly been longing for.

The moment he had been longing for as well, but hid by never wanting to be too close with Marloe. He was close now, and he liked it.

Eames was speechless, never actually believing Arthur could gather the balls to kiss Marloe. Cobb sat quietly having already known this time would come for the two of them. And Ariadne smiled at the two, genuinely happy for them.

Eventually and sadly, the kiss came to an end. Time, which had seemed to slow down, sped back up again. Arthur opened his eyes and smiled compassionately at Marloe, who returned the smile. Neither of them said a word for several minutes. They simply stared at each other, happy that the ice that had been covering their friendship had finally been shattered. It suddenly became obvious to Marloe that Arthur didn't think about work 24/7, but rather he thought about her.

When Marloe's heart finally returned to a relatively normal pace, she said, "I could get use to that."

Arthur laughed slightly, his brown eyes shining. "You still want to dance?"

"Actually, I think I'm good now." And she was. Marloe was very content with how the evening had turned out and she was ready to call it a night. "Unless you want to dance, because I will if you will."

Shaking his head, he responded, "If you're done, I'm done." He was acting so much more pleasant after the kiss and he could tell Marloe was enjoying that.

She nodded. "That's fine." Then she directed her attention towards the gawkers across the floor who were sitting at a lit-up orange table. Marloe and Arthur watched as Eames gave them a thumbs-up, Cobb nodded, and Ariadne smiled.

"I think they're done, too," commented Arthur.

"Yeah, agreed."

The two walked over to the table, Marloe bobbing her head again to the music that had turned into The Blackeyed Peas, _Rock That Body_. She wondered where the techno had gone, but she let it slip from her mind. She had just kissed Arthur, after all.

"You two lovebirds seemed to have been enjoying yourselves out there." Eames smiled slyly.

Marloe blushed, which she rarely did, and chuckled.

Sighing, the British man added, "Well, I'm ready to call it a night. What about everyone else?"

Ariadne nodded, sighing as well. "I'm good with that."

"Then are you guys ready?" questioned Cobb at Marloe and Arthur.

They nodded simultaneously.

"Good. There's one thing we have to do first: figure out a designated driver."

"Have Arthur drive," suggested Eames.

"He drank God knows how many of those drinks," said Ariadne, concerned.

"Arthur couldn't get drunk if it bit him on the arse," Eames said, smiling.

Arthur just crossed his arms in irritation.

"I haven't touched an alcoholic beverage all night. I guess I'll drive." Marloe gave in and started for the club exit.

"Guess we have our designated driver," said Cobb, standing up slowly to keep his balance in tact.

Eames followed behind him.

"You're supposed to designate the driver before hand. Not wait until everyone's already been drinking to figure it out," commented Ariadne smartly before leaving the table. She had only had one martini the whole time, but it was safer just to let someone who hadn't drank at all drive the group.

"Hm, my love, you may be right."

"Thanks Eames." Ariadne rolled her eyes and followed after Marloe and Arthur.

They were already out of the club, walking close and staying quiet. They were simply enjoying each other's presence. But Marloe broke the silence, saying, "I think I might actually be able to sleep tonight." She grinned at the thought of finally being able to get a good night's rest. "And maybe you'll sleep better, too."

Arthur put his hands into his pant pockets, smiling. "Maybe." Then he flicked something out that clattered onto the concrete of the parking lot. Very quickly he snatched up the object before Marloe could see what it was.

"What was that?" she asked curiously.

"It was nothing." And he rolled the red dice through his fingers in his pocket, sighing into the night.

This was the best dream he had ever had.

Well, the best dream-come-true.

Arthur's smile never faded.

* * *

**Mwuhahahaha! You're all like, what just happened? Re-read the second to the last line for clarification. :D**


	4. Iddy Bitty Info Chapter

**I haven't had anyone tell me yet that they're confused, but here's info on the fic that should clarify any questions you all may have. Plus, it will make me feel better. :D**

**First of all, let me thank everyone for their comments! I love reading them! I'm glad people actually liked the story and the whole Arthur + Marloe thing.**

**Next, the chapters. **

*** Chapter 1 just starts sort of randomly. It takes place before the inception job that happened in the film.  
**

*** Chapter 2 is like a flashback/prequel. It's about Marloe and how she got the title The Shift. And it had a nice little twist that not even I was expecting to create. A good portion of this chapter was a dream, but all that is very obvious. Just read the first line. XD  
**

*** Chapter 3 returns to the time when Chapter 1 took place, only a couple days later. They're all at the club, obviously, and that's the only setting. The object that came out of Arthur's pocket was his totem-the red, translucent, loaded dice. He dropped it purposely to know if he was in reality or if everything had just been a dream. I've read that it lands on "3" in reality. I purposely didn't put what it landed on because I wanted people to wonder if it really was just a dream. But then I put "dream-come-true", which obviously means he's not dreaming. I almost did have everything be a dream to make a serious twist, but I've read another fic that had that happen and I didn't want it to seem like I was copying their idea. So the club _wasn't_ a dream. That's why Arthur kept smiling. :) Oh yeah, and the definition of dancing by Sigourney Weaver is from _WALL*E_, for those who didn't catch that. Weaver was the voice of the _Axiom'_s computer and that was how she defined dancing in the film. Hehe!  
**

**Any questions? Good. I hope this last little chapter helped anyone who was confused.**


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